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The job losses are expected to be spread across the firm’s offices around the country – other sites include Wakefield, Warrington, Belfast, Bracknell, Crewe, Northern Ireland, and Stevenage.

Unite national officer for IT, Ian Tonks, slammed the tech giant’s decision, saying there’s ‘no excuse’ for the job cuts when the company is making a profit.

He said: “This is a hammer blow for these hardworking employees who have given their all to make the UK subsidiary highly profitable.

“It is not good news for the UK economy as the company says that it intends to offshore many of these jobs, with increased automation also responsible for job losses.

“Fujtsu’s main UK subsidiary made £85.6m profit last year and we see no reason for these job losses. Unite will be doing its utmost to fight for these jobs, as well as giving our members maximum support at this very worrying time.”

Fujitsu, which employs 14,000 people in the UK and Ireland, denied that the job losses are linked to the UK’s decision to leave the EU, but is instead part of a ‘transformative programme’.

The firm said in a statement: “Fujitsu is planning a transformation programme that will enable it to better support customers in the era of digital transformation.

“The company today advised its employee representative forum of plans to restructure the organisation in order to provide better service and respond more quickly to customer needs.

“As part of the programme, Fujitsu plans to streamline operations in order to remain competitive in the market.

“Proposed measures include changes which would result in a reduction of up to 1,800 jobs in the UK. All affected employees will be offered guidance and support and Fujitsu is establishing a consultation process with elected employee representatives.”